Why Do Babies Cry?

Dr. Parang Mehta, MD.

At birth, human babies are capable of crying and feeding. For any need, trouble, pain, discomfort, or anything, the only way of expression for a baby is crying. It is up to the adult world to decipher the reason for baby's crying.

A crying baby is very disturbing to all human adults. While we're able to tolerate much louder noises at workplaces and for recreation, nature has programmed us to be disturbed by a baby's cry. This ensures that a crying baby does not get ignored.

Why Do Babies Cry?

Not always easy to answer. Babies cry for a variety of reasons, an sometimes for no reason at all. A very common reason for crying is hunger and other feeding difficulties. (see sidebar).

Another common reason is illness. Any illness that has fever as a component will set a baby crying. Not only is fever uncomfortable on its own, it is often accompanied by headaches, bodyaches, and other discomforts. Babies express these in the only way they know. A cold or upper respiratory infection is the most common reason behind the crying babies brought to my practice. Sometimes, serious illnesses like meningitis or pyelonephritis come to notice first because the baby cried excessively.

The baby may be in some pain. The pain of an ear infection, or a fracture due to an injury, may manifest only as excessive crying. Maltreatment by someone in the family should be thought of -- battered babies cry excessively in the early stages.

Babies between the age of one and three months are often cranky for a part of the day. Usually, these crying spells occur in the evening or night, and may last for one to three hours. During these bouts, the baby refuses to feed, and cries continually. Since this condition was not well understood, it was labelled infantile colic.

Babies don't cry unneccesarily, and know no pretence. A baby's crying should never be ignored, because it signifies a need. Every baby has a normal behaviour, which we learn to know. Any variation from it should arouse suspicion. A baby who cries and cries may only be teething, but may also be suffering the pain of an infected ear, or be in the initial stages of a life threatening illness like meningitis. If your baby is crying for a long time and is inconsolable, it is wise to have her seen by your pediatrician.

 

Last revision: September 16, 2011

Feeding Problems and Crying

Many feeding problems can cause the baby to cry a lot.

Hunger is perhaps the most common. A breast fed baby may not get enough milk because mother is not lactating adequately. This may happen because of poor general health, an illness, stress, overwork, inadequate rest, and several other causes. A lactation consultant can help.

A top fed baby can have many problems -- inadequate filling of bottle is one. It is important that baby always leave a little milk/formula in the bottle. If the bottle is sucked dry, the baby's still hungry.

Other reasons can be a too dilute formula. If the formula is too thin, baby passes urine frequently, and gets hungry frequently, and cries a lot. Too concentrated a formula can cause digestion problems for the baby. It is essential to follow instructions exactly.

If the formula is given to baby too hot or too cold, she can't drink much, and remains hungry. Bottle fed babies may suck too much air, leading to distension of the stomach and discomfort. The nipple hole being too small or too large also makes feeding difficult.

Contact Information

Dr. Parang Mehta,
Mehta Childcare,
Opposite Putli, Sagrampura,
Surat. Tel: +91 98241 53923.
Email: